6 Apr 2015

Meditation and Spirituality - How I See It

Spirituality means different things to different people. To
me, it is a balance between body and mind, an ideal, harmonious co-existence
between a person and the Universe.

To attain this level of spiritual enlightenment is easier
said than done. Not when the stresses of everyday life and extraneous factors
completely without your control are constantly trying to wreck havoc with your
sense of calm.

I started practising Yoga, postures, breathing and
meditation, when I was in my teens. It helped to an extent, especially the breathing. But it was not the answer I was looking for. The agitation
of those difficult years was just too overwhelming.

A few years ago I was introduced to a form of Buddhist meditation
known as Vipassana. I enrolled in an intensive residential course in
Hertfordshire, where I achieved the unthinkable – a sense of complete and utter
calm at the end of ten days of early to bed, early to rise, vegan food, no
caffeine and hours of introspection in absolute silence. You heard me, absolute
silence as speech of all forms was forbidden.

I started out with trepidation; keeping quiet for days on
end is not something that I expected to come easy for a chatterbox like me.
Surprisingly, it did, and I was able to get a grasp on my spirituality by the
end of it.

I say this because those ten days were radically different
to my religious Hindu upbringing. And although I am not overly religious, I was
fairly set in my ways where it comes to everyday spiritual beliefs. Vipassana
was an eye-opener. It was my introduction to a way of living where the focus
was on a congruence between the internal and the external, a path devoid
of rigid religious rituals.

I hate to say this, but I have not been able to keep up a
regular practice of Vipassana meditation after becoming a mother. Trying to
find a couple of hours a day for silent introspection is a tall ask when you
have a baby. My other half though, has managed quite successfully to sacrifice
sleep for a few minutes of meditative peace every day.

It is about time I found those precious minutes to
breathe and reflect impassively on my day, to let it all wash out of my system
so I am a better person, ready to take on the incessant challenges of
motherhood with a more balanced outlook. I know this is the key to gentle
parenting that everybody seems to be looking for. I have found it, I need to
use it.

This is the legacy of spirituality that I hope to pass to my
children – one of a calm, relaxed and focussed mind at ease with itself and
everything around it.